Repeat
by focusedOnProsperity
Summary: AN: I don't own the Walking Dead, or anything affiliated with the Brand. This is a one-shot with the potential of becoming a story. This takes a look at how Michonne and Rick's relationship may further develop after Beth's tragic demise. I'm writing this alongside the slow burn that the show has, and how she seems to be more inspirational in the previews for Season 5B. Richonne
1. Chapter 1

**Repeat**

_**AN:**__ I don't own the Walking Dead, or anything affiliated with the Brand._

_This is a one-shot with the potential of becoming a story._

_This takes a look at how Michonne and Rick's relationship may further develop after Beth's tragic demise. I'm writing this alongside the slow burn that the show has, and how she seems to be more inspirational in the previews for Season 5B (I hope they do not kill her off because of that – Glen is still inspiring and still lives lol). I hope you all enjoy_!

This new world taught a lot. One thing for sure was that innocence was a fairytale. If someone was remotely close to it, they were at risk for being wiped away. A somber Rick looked into his newest offspring's eyes, while tears dropped near her blue orbits. He'd love for her to enjoy what most babies deserved: to run free in a playground, to be surrounded by her peers while babbling about toys, a mother…

Michonne rubbed her tuft of blondish hair, later pulling her up out of her father's strong arms. Carol and even Tyrese would often ask before doing such a thing, but the bond between the father and the samurai was unspoken and on a different level. The only other person who could do as Michonne did was Beth… She sat next to him on the back of the bus and fed the baby while they headed to destination unknown.

After babbling baby talk, she looked at him. "Carl was teaching Gabriel some survival techniques, but since this has happened he has stayed away from him." Rick knew his son was sitting alone in the middle of the bus. He was not trying to pull away from him as he did when Lori died, but his son did it. He pondered if Michonne realized that Carl was talking to no one but Michonne.

"Why do you two even feel the need to protect that sonovabitch?" His accent pinged on anger, but was delivered calmly.

She began to burp the chubby little one. "If we ever find somewhere, where they may have some civilization, we have to remember who we are. We are still human, we still care. We have to be."

The former sheriff pinched his nose. "Ever since you saw that hospital, you changed a bit 'Chonne. Where is the woman who knows that what those people believed in wasn't real? Who knows that this place is not safe anymore? I need her back – the one who didn't listen to me one bit when I asked her to stay and not look for the fuckin' governor! The one who needed her sword, because in truth you cannot survive out here without being a killer?"

They violently stared. This was the first time since creeping into Terminus that he ever saw her tears. On some level he felt remorse. On the other hand, he wanted to wake her back up.

"Rick, how dare you?" This was the most intense she had been since he dug into her bullet wound. "I'm not just that person! We do what we have to survive, but we can't allow this world turn us into monsters…"

"You told Carl you were a monster…"

Michonne was taken aback. It never dawned on her that he was actually within earshot of the two when she consoled his son. His way of apologizing was via grabbing her hand, kissing it through tears.

Michonne wondered if Beth's death would lead him to seeing visions once again. The girl was nearing adulthood. She represented the few of the last hopes in humanity – not complaining but knowing that things had to be done. However, she still needed protection, unlike the other women Sasha, Tara, Carol, Maggie…Maggie was still in a cationic state. It was weird for Michonne to feel the urge to be the inspirational speaker. Carl and Judith received her kindness, which was her tribute to her dear Andre. He and those who knew her knew Michonne could brighten up a room with just her mere presence. These people did not know her in that way. They didn't know her as the elegant social butterfly who held fundraisers at galas to support the inner city youth in Atlanta. They only saw her as the stoic warrior who all beings who stood on two feet, walkers and the living alike, should fear. She hated that. She also hated that Beth's death could be the nail in the coffin to her new family if she didn't wake them the hell up. Beth possibly had an inkling that Michonne was once more loveable to just Rick and Carl, but any further development of that was wiped away. Her lower lip quivered.

Rick considered bringing up her son, but his instinct told him to let her do that. He had already done enough damage. "I need you," he whispered while looking at the floor.

"Rick, so do I." They both pierced into each other's eyes; blue and brown melted into each other. The sorrow was thick amongst the atmosphere of the bus. He wiped a tear that drifted down her ebony cheek, noticing how magical his skin contrasted against hers. Where was she before he met Lori? Would he have fallen into unison with her if they crossed paths in the past? It would be more tragic if the Turn was needed for him to find someone who completed him as much.

"They shoulda listened to me." His hands still held hers while she cradled a sleeping Judith. "Bob would still be here. Beth would still be here." He slowly heard Bob's last words whisper into his ear.

On cue, Michonne responded, "don't let that eat you. If I let that eat me, I would have either become that person who wasn't living again, or would have reminded you and Daryl to no end." Her words made him replay so many instances of them pleading to give up the search for the one who destroyed their home. "Don't do that Rick, your people need you. Your children need you. I need you. Don't lose you."

His chest heaved. His fingers twiddled and twisted his wedding band after slowly letting go of her hand. "I…I love you."

"I do too."

_**AN: **__I sometimes wonder if these two characters realize that they love each other, or am I just seeing thangs. This is my second fanfic, and I've been moved to write some after reading many of the fantastic ones that you all have. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN: CodeName-M.e_**_, __**Nay766**__, __**Alex311**__, __**ezillyamused**__, you all inspired me to keep this story going…so here we go. _

_This chapter is a little long and a bit in-depth, but I'll pick up things a bit in the next one._

**Chapter 2: Alchipoa**

Abraham noticed the road signs read "Welcome to Alchipoa". Without an announcement, he veered the large vehicle off onto an exit.

"What are you doing," questioned Rosita.

"Doing something. Everyone here is stuck on the other side of the Twilight Zone," responded the sergeant.

Her neck rolled a bit. "You can't just decide what to do without saying something. And you were a bit out of it not too long ago."

His grip of the steering wheel tightened, with thoughts of really finishing off Eugene. "Yes, I was lost in the sauce. But I'm back and my mind's fresher than Bounty Fresh. Now listen, this here Alchipoa used to be a small town that mostly had warehouses. I figure we hole up in here and stock up. Shouldn't be too many of those ugly son ov-a-guns 'round here. Besides, listen to that." Rosita did as was requested. "I don't hear anyone objecting.

Indeed, the man was right. Reverend Gabriel nervously patted his head with a cloth that he always seemed to have. His hand played with the cross across his collar bone, while he pondered God's plan. A peaceful man such as he shouldn't have to endure the destruction of his church and these ruthless people. _You're judging, Gabriel. These people helped save you, Gabriel. You saw how sad they were when they lost two people._ But they hacked and killed with no qualms. He wanted to claw his way out, but was no fighter. So he cried.

Noah sat not too far away from Carl. Apparently, they were the only teenagers there. He really didn't know what his age was anymore. He did know that his people lived somewhere safe. Maybe he could tell them about it later, but this wasn't the time. Number one: Beth was gone. He gladly traded places with her. And that's maybe why he could have loved her. She wouldn't have that. The short time that they knew each other involved giving gifts. She gave him the gift of freedom, but he didn't need that if it meant for her to die. Looking at how her people were lost because of her death made him reflect of his own family. Only Tara and Sasha asked about his situation since the incident. Seeing that they weren't as connected to Beth as everyone else, he understood it. He was on the outside, and the connection he had with them was from a person that was no longer here. Noah was always a mature young man…he comprehended that he had work to do in order to gain trust. His eyes panned away from the window to across the aisle where Tara and Eugene sat.

Tara returned his glance with a polite smile. She knew GREATM was postponed indefinitely. She didn't have much to stand on, but her well-known redemption was probably the only thing that saved Eugene from being casted out to the wilderness. Rick seemed to not give two fucks when the fake Washington D.C. hopes were revealed. He said it was up to everyone else to decide that man's fate ~ other things were on his mind. Tara campaigned for his safety, but noticed how Abraham constantly glared at the pitiful soul. Rosita and Abraham had a long talk; afterwards she stayed from all Eugene-centered conversations. His other defender, Maggie, was too far gone. Tara desired to be at her and Glenn's side, but her awkward companion needed a protector.

Tyrese couldn't protect Sasha. The title of being a "little sister" was just a phrase. He knew his positive outlook on humanity and the world was foolish in her eyes. His plan failed. He allowed Martin to live. Bob died. That other Bob wasn't his fault, but she was going to become a cold-blooded murderer if he didn't consistently check her. They sat across the aisle from each other in silence. If her sister couldn't see him as strong, then who could?

Carol only appeared weak physically – falling sometimes with the walkers that she killed. Appearances were lies. Darryl actually leaned on her shoulder for most of the ride. If he didn't do that, he scowled at her silently, checked her injuries, or stared out the window crying. Beth was similar to a grown Sophia, but her death could be another sideshow. As she was here with the living, she allowed Daryl to handle his mourning how he needed to. She suspected he may have had feelings for the poor girl… They came to rescue her and left with nothing. The group came for Carol also. She found a nickel while on her on. It became her meditative tool, which she flipped between fingers while considering her next move. She pulled it out while Daryl's drool dripped down her shoulder.

Maggie was asleep as well. Glenn often heard her whisper, "Beth, I'm sorry," while her eyes remained sorry. His heart was heavy with guilt. These two lovebirds had tunnel vision when searching for each other, but no one else mattered. He knew he wasn't always this way. Maggie made him a man who did not allow others to just use him for risk-taking adventures in procuring tampons (*ahem* Lori), but his concern for the rest of the family was slowly slipping. He had to admit that when Hershel died, he wanted to make sure his oldest daughter was taken care of. Little concern was given for the youngest. He could manage to be there for everyone and stay a great husband, right? Well, for now, he had no choice but to focus on her. She refused to eat the few times they did eat. He sighed, looking to the back and noticed that Rick had dropped Michonne's hand. If he kicked himself for not being there enough for others, then those two needed to be slapped for not actualizing who they really were. But…that wasn't his business.

Michonne wiped another tear, knowing that they might cross over the boundary they kept up for so long. It was scary but natural and the way it needed to be. She was concerned that there was no fear or anxiety in her heart, but she did feel mighty uncomfortable. "I-I have to go check on Carl."

Rick acknowledged with a nod and took the sleeping beauty out of her hands. He looked somewhat relieved to reveal his truth, but was still lost in regrets. He kept his head down as she moved to the front of the bus. Carl stared out the window with his left leg propped up. Michonne smiled to herself, thinking if he was in a different world he could have been a teen celebrity.

"Carl?"

"Yea?" His gaze didn't leave outside.

"You mind if I sit by you?"

"You know I don't," he moved his leg. "I'm supposed to be a kid, but if I handled things, things would be different."

"Is that so, Carl?"

He finally turned to look at her. "Nobody listens to my dad when they should. They think he's crazy. But he has to be crazy. They undermined him Michonne. Now, Beth's dead."

She replayed her conversation with Rick in her mind. "People always try to make the right choices Carl. We can't always fight."

His eyes squinted. "If you were there, would it have gone down that way?"

She laughed, "no, probably not." They both laughed, the samurai and the _child. _Michonne knew he would have went in there guns a-blazing.

"I'm okay though, I know Beth doesn't have to deal with this place anymore. I don't think she could have anyway. I have to make sure Judith will be stronger."

Michonne looked at him as Rick often did when hints of where Carl might have been heading shined through. "We have to do what we can to make sure she knows how to survive, and not just kill. But here, I stashed this for you earlier." She slid him a Big Cat from her pocket.

He smirked at the gift and then looked up at her, "You all are taking this death too hard."

"Excuse me," it was rare for her to get pissed with Carl, but she just did.

"Did anyone but notice that we made a turn off the highway?"

Her teeth gritted as she stormed over to Abraham and Rosita. It was too late; he parked the vehicle in front of a warehouse.


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: **__Slow-burn, meet derailment! This chapter has a twist that I hope you weren't expecting. _

**Chapter 3: Ghosts**

Rick was furious. It didn't matter about Abraham's size and who could or would jump up to defend this redheaded buffoon. Number three: Daryl would jump up in a second to take him out. Number two: Michonne didn't need a word, she'd cut him down. Number one: Rick just had no more fucks to give.

"While y'all were sitting there like space cadets, I had to do something instead of drive for no reason," declared Abraham.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?! You can't just do what you want without talking to anyone!"

Michonne, Carl, and Daryl stood to Rick's sides, weapons drawn in the woods while in front of the bus. Rosita was ready as well as she stood by her redheaded man.

"Someone has to be the rooster while the coop is asleep. You want to be the alpha male but haven't made it to full on male yet!"

Rick was highly offended, but was also trying to figure out what the hell Abraham just said. "This is my family, dammit! Anythang that happens goes through me!" Michonne and Daryl gave each other side glances, wondering if the Ricktatorship was about to make a return.

"Oh, is that so? It didn't seem like your family followed you all of the way befo-"

"Oh my God, could you people just shut up?!" A woman stood at the door of the warehouse, looking furious and nervous. "You'll bring the decayed to us if you don't shut the fuck up!"

Everyone was shocked, but not as much as Rick. He swallowed to see if everyone could see and hear what he just heard. They all looked in her direction and were quiet. The most telling face was Carl, mumbling, "no way". She had long brunette hair, strong cheekbones, tanned white skin, and that jawline he always adored.

"L-Lori?"

"Who?" asked the woman.

Michonne's face twisted. Glenn spectated and squirmed. The samurai pointed her katana to the ground, relaxed her face, and sighed. "You look like someone else."

The woman looked perplexed. "Okay…wh-whatever. Just, can you people please go somewhere with all of that racket?"

"Ma'am," Abraham suddenly became a gentleman. "We came here because we know this town used to have few citizens, and assumed there wouldn't be too many walkers –"

"Too many what?"

"-too many _decayed_ around here. Would it be okay if we stayed here for a second and be on our way?"

Some of the group who didn't realize the reasons behind Abraham parking there relaxed a bit. That did make some sense.

The woman looked at their many dirty faces, holding weapons and looking ruthless. One of them was truly freaking her out by how he stared out her, and one pretty girl was crying the whole time. Then, she noticed the baby held by a short-haired woman. She couldn't think of the last time she saw one of those. It was even stranger to see a reverend. To top it off, there was a man with a mullet! She laughed to herself about the irony of this.

After a few deep breaths, she responded, "fine for now. But please keep it down."

They all panned in the building slowly, each one saying thank you as they passed her by. She told Carol her baby was beautiful.

"Thank you, but she's his," Carol pointed to Rick, whose shoulder was being rubbed by Carl.

Rick, Carl, and Michonne were the last ones to come to the door.

"I apologize for, uh, looking at you strangely," Rick stumbled.

Carl finished it off for him. "You look like you're my mother, his wife who died when she gave birth to my sister."

"Oh," responded the woman. She wanted to care more than her response let out, but she lost people also.

Carl might have read that. "Yea, but you're not my mother." He gave a hard pat to his father's back. "Thanks for letting us stay." He strolled in.

Rick stayed a bit frozen. Michonne clenched her fist and sheathed her katana after almost forgetting that she was about to slice up Abraham. Her eyes dug into Rick's side, without him noticing the glares.

"Fine," she huffed and turned to the woman. "I know you don't know us, and we don't know you. But we have to know what we're dealing with, just as you have to protect yourself."

"Yea, sure," the woman didn't know where this conversation was going.

"I'm Michonne. This is Rick. You are?"

"L-Laura." Something about Michonne made Laura on edge, more so than the other travelers.

"How many _decayed_ have you killed?"

"I-I'm not sure."

Michonne's brown eyes became icier. "What?"

"I killed some people before they became, well, you know."

"How many?"

"M-Michonne, do you see her?" Rick almost touched Laura's face before she stopped him.

"Please, go inside Rick."

He pinched his nose, realizing he was not looking too sane at the moment. "I'm sorry 'Chonne", he mumbled and walked in.

"What the hell-" began Laura.

"We've been through a lot. We've just lost another one of our people. It's been…tough." Michonne realized she was talking to someone she knew nothing about. "How many people did you kill before they turned?"

"Five," she paused. "They were my family."

"Okay."

They stood at the door. A wind began to pick up. Fall leaves slowly descended.

"Are you gonna come in?"

"No. I'm keeping watch." Michonne silently climbed onto the hood of the bus.

Laura watched, not knowing what to make of these people. If anything, she knew that whatever was happening between Rick and Michonne could affect her more than the others' sagas.


	4. Chapter 4

**_AN: The responses and reactions are lovely! Thanks! This was supposed to be a one-shot, but I see you all are having as much fun reading it as I am with writing it. Some inspiration for this (besides the show itself) are muses from Data Romance: "The Deep", "Bullets", and Paper Route's "Glass Heart Hymn" (sidenote: I found out about these songs via YouTube clips that either strongly ship Richonne or make some wonderful TWD clips). Without further ado, let's see if Rick is going to screw up a good thing for someone he doesn't know…_**

**Chapter 4: Open Your Eyes**

Noah had seen some, let's see, _stuff_ since the world had changed. The things that used to make him hurl had become irrelevant. However, the display he witnessed before entering the warehouse was beyond strange. This Rick guy was the leader, he guessed. It made sense for him to be distraught over Beth's death. Yet, the way he behaved in front of their new host was strange. Seeing how obviously more pissed off Michonne and Carl were about it than everyone else was stranger. He limped over to Carl, who was meditatively sitting on a cart by the door.

"Hey man."

"Yea," his hat barely lifted to acknowledge Noah's presence.

"We're the only _teenagers_ here, huh?"

Now Carl looked up. "I'm no damn teenager."

Noah could see his eyes weren't lying. "Neither am I." There was a pause, and then reflection. "Beth and I was trying to escape that place together. We had a chance. I got injured and she stayed behind."

"She would do that, wouldn't she? You know, she once had this boyfriend. It didn't last too long."

"What happened to him?"

"He went on a run and I guess the walkers got him. She didn't cry or anything…just knew that this is the world we live in. But still, I'm getting tired of losing people. I still know it's gonna happen."

"Yea, I'm sure my people think I'm gone."

Carl nodded understandingly. "You think they ever looked for you?"

"I'd hope. Then again, they don't seem as tough as your people. So, nah, I hope they stayed home." The young men shared a laugh. "Hey, is your father okay?"

Carl sucked his teeth. "He has his moments. That woman looks like my mother, but she ain't my damn mother."

Noah nodded his head this time. "I guess a person can get shocked when they see a living ghost."

"Yea, but he better be the leader he's supposed to." Carl stopped himself before revealing how bad his father's bouts with craziness could get. "Anyway, he hasn't even noticed that Michonne didn't come in here yet. I've been waiting for him to wake the fuck up, but he's just sitting there in a daze." His eyes pointed to Rick, slumped in a far corner and eye-stalking Laura. "I'm gonna go check on her."

"Whoa, wait, do you think it's safe out there for you?"

Carl sneered as he stood up. "You're the same one who limped through Atlanta, and you're asking me that?" He adjusted his gun in his holster as they both stepped outside.

Laura thought to herself of how badly she needed living, human company. They had just arrived to her home, a food warehouse, but she was ready to kick them out all the same. She'd probably end up a decayed lonely thing, bumping into the walls until the end of time if these people never showed up. That might have been okay. This debate played through her head, as a few of them approached her.

"We have to say thanks again," Tyrese reiterated.

"No problem," she lied with wide eyes. "Do you think you'll be here for some time?"

"Not sure," answered Sasha. "We're really not sure where we're going at this point. Most of us had a home, but it's gone now. Are you really here by yourself," her eyes squinted.

Laura could feel another interrogation coming on. "Excuse me?"

"To live here so long, by yourself…just doesn't seem so plausible."

"Yes it does," interrupted Tyrese. Sasha wanted to give him a left hook. She was about to get tired of her brother and his bullshit. "Remember how we found Reverend Gabriel?"

Laura was curious. "How?"

His deep voice stated, "He had a church secluded in the woods and lived off of the food from there."

"Well," Laura opened her arms as if she was giving a grand tour, "I have plenty of canned goods!"

"Where are the can openers? Water?" Sasha was clearly not finished.

"Sasha!" He stopped her from her rant. She stormed off. "Excuse my sister. She found someone to love, just to lose him."

Laura felt some type of warmth about this Tyrese, but she still could feel Rick's eyes engaged on her. "I get it. Hey, I have a question." She lowered her voice. "Is Rick always this way?"

Tyrese remembered his shock in how the Termites were slaughtered. He also had that rage at one point, and was ready to take on the world. "No, no he is not."

"His son told me I look like his wife."

Tyrese's eyes widened. He knew of her, but never met Lori. He could partially see why Rick lost his mind. This woman was attractive. "Oh, he'll probably get it together."

Glenn rolled up his jacket for Maggie to sleep on. He coerced her into eating some soup. She was truly the last Greene. Maybe, being a Rhee could make up for the loss? Right now, he had to make sure that others would be okay while his primary concern rested. Carol and Daryl were talking, and it seemed Daryl would be active again. He was actually playing with Lil Asskicker as Carol held her. Rick, on the other hand…

He stopped Rick on his path to talk with Laura.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Hmph, wha," asked a startled Rick.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing?"

"Rick, I've seen you at your lowest. We've all been through hell and back. I can tell you that we seriously don't want to see what again."

"I-I'm fine. Th-there's nothing wrong here."

"Really," Glenn stepped in front of him before he progressed further to Laura. "Is that Lori, or is that someone else?"

Rick pinched the bridge of his nose. "I-I don't know."

"Yes you do know, and hey." Glenn looked into his eyes to emphasize, "you're gonna lose a good thing with Michonne if you keep this up."

Rick attempted to focus and re-focus his eyes. He met Lori in high school. They were prom king and queen. She gave him the American dream and the perfect family image. It ended with madness, but that probably was the result of world changing. They would have grown old together, with problems swept under the rug.

But Michonne was what he needed afterwards. She read him. She was in him, and was actually what he fantasized about his whole life but was too scared to admit to. She was no damsel and he felt the safest in her presence. He needed her before and after the Turn, if he really thought about it.

_But she wasn't Lori, and what he'd give for another chance with Lori_.

"I-I have to go lay down."

Glenn was peeved. This was not the time for craziness and love sagas. He stormed off to his sleeping beauty.

"He's still a rooster with head cut halfway off."

"_Abraham_!"

"What, you know it's true. I'm not lying like a person pretending to still have faith." Gabriel grimaced when he overheard those words escape Abraham's lips.

Rosita slammed her hands on her hips. "You were just the same when you found about Eugene." She passed canned yams to Tara, who passed them to a very quiet Eugene.

"Maybe, and he'd be a wise fool to stay away from me." Eugene scampered off while Tara shook her head. "I had a good reason – we were supposed to be saving the world!"

"Well, I guess that woman looks like someone he lost before. No one's sane anymore, and I think we all would be a little nuts if we saw a ghost."

Abraham considered this. "Yea, sure. I'm kinda in the mood for some ass."

"Damn, do you not care that I'm right here to hear all of that," questioned Tara.

This really wasn't a watch. The warehouse was drifting into the background. She knew the sun was not going to shine much longer, but she had to do this. She could go back and pretend there was nothing, or she could stay out here and be nothing. This was easy. Not thinking and fading into darkness was easy. _Carl and Judith_. Those kids grew on her. _They just lost another person_. She was actually caring about more than children and more than _Rick_. Shink! Her katana could be her. Shink! She hated that damned thing. Shink! It was used to further Mike and Terry into monsters. Shink! It killed Hershel. Shink! It couldn't protect her heart. Michonne had to admit it, she was just a killing machine. She was what this world created in perfection. She could not compete with a ghost. She could not pretend that love was real, or that he even needed her in that way. He just needed (shink) a plaything, mother figure for his children, a soldier, a protector, but loving her (shink) that just wasn't real. That was just –

A bullet lodged into the head of the walker whose arms she had just severed off. She turned around to see Carl and Noah standing there, in shock. Carl's gun was still smoking. Their eyes observed the many armless and jawless walkers surrounding her.

"What in the," Noah was stunned.

"What are you two doing out here?"

"What are you doing," asked Carl. He didn't say it accusingly. "I had to check up on you."

She stared off to the setting sun. "I. Just. Had to clear my thoughts, that's all."

He knew that wasn't exactly true. "Judith was looking for you," he lied.

With her back turned to them, she wiped a tear. "Oh, let's go. Uh, it's getting dark and we may want to fortify that building."

They turned to head back. Before he followed, Noah took one last glance at the disfigured walkers. He wasn't sure how uneasy he should be.


	5. Chapter 5

**_AN: Thanks for the interest in this saga, the followers, and the reviews! (Once again, I don't own the Walking Dead or AMC)._**

**_josie:_**_ Is this a love triangle? Read on; it might be leading to something else. _

**_ezilyamused: _**_If I was Rick, I would stay away from someone resembling loved one who passed away – it would tug at my heart too much. But…I'm not Rick and never saw visions of those who went to the other side. We can only hope that he doesn't ruin this with Michonne, right?_

**_Nadineoo: _**_Thanks for the compliments! One of the true mental exercises is writing for Abraham. I've been rewatching TWD and, although I try to deny it sometimes, Rick and Michonne seem to have some deep feelings for each other. I could totally understand them not admitting it, though._

**_justaroundtheriverbender & Nay766: _**_Yes, Rick is slipping again. But we always love he how comes back._

**_CodeName-M.e: _**_Hey, ringers make the world go round, lol!_

_I will do my best to keep the updates consistent. I know how it's like waiting for an update from you all; I even try to read them while at work! I am involved with school and kids, so let's see how this goes. Have a Happy New Year y'all!_

**Chapter 5: Hard Road Ahead**

Survival always kept him in line. The other thing that kept him going was making sure that his people kept surviving. Finding a sawed off hand that belonged to his brother was the first let down since the Turn. Then it was his endless search to find out that poor Sophia had long been amongst the dead. Now this, a prank on his heart with doing so much to protect Beth, to finally see her, and lose her for good…but survival always kept him in line. Lil Asskicker brought him some joy, and Carol was his yang as always, but Michonne's announcement to fortify the warehouse brought Daryl back to life.

He knew Maggie had a long way to go. All she did was sleep. He looked around to see everyone participating in some kind of way. Then there was Rick. Dammit. No one had time for this. His effort at work was pitiful. He even stayed away from Carl instead of hovering over him. He knew his brother. Daryl knew that Rick always watched Michonne; but his eyes stayed on this Lori-look-alike. "Shit," he mumbled to himself.

"What's wrong Pookie," asked Carol.

He shook his head. No one was stupid in the group, and he was sure everyone had an idea about the intensity between the former sherrif and the samurai, but he wasn't going to expose their business. "You always have my back. You didn't have to come with me out there to rescue Beth. And," he paused since sentimentality was rough with him, "thanks for taking that risk. I almost thought I lost you too, and I don't know if I could have dealt with that."

Carol swallowed hard. Her voice squeaked, "Daryl, you don't ever have to thank me." He didn't know it, but those words cemented her feet with the group.

-ooo-

"So, you were a football player?"

"Yea, didn't go pro. I played for Florida A&M. After that, I went into business. Before everything went South, I was taking a break and taking care of our mother who had Alzheimer's."

"Oh, that's tough to deal with." Laura had only known this man for a day, and was strongly beginning to admire him and his large arms. "Many of my patients had that. It is definitely a heartbreaking illness."

"Patients?"

"Yes. I was a nurse practitioner. This town was so small. I sometimes considered becoming a physician just so that the laws could allow me to practice as much as I needed to. Most of our physicians were out of town. I had to do a lot of, I don't know, fighting, just to get the people here what they needed. Well, that's neither here nor there now."

Tyrese joined her reflection, "I know. Everything that we worked hard for and was important at one time means nothing now. Hopefully, that won't be forever."

"Well, maybe if everyone wasn't attacked and on edge all of the time, someone could get some research done."

They both laughed at their bleak situation as she assisted him with a wooden spike. "Sasha and I stayed at this place Woodbury for a bit. They had a scientist, well, they had walls too. But, the 'Governor' went crazy and killed him."

She shook her head. "He could have found the cure?"

"Who knows?" He moved in to whisper, "Eugene had Abraham protecting him all the way from Texas, claiming that he knew what the cure was in D.C. That turned out to be a lie."

Laura glanced over to the man with the mullet. He was meekly grabbing up wood to pass to Tara, but strategically stayed away from Abraham. Fear washed over him whenever he came close to the giant. "Oh, that explains a lot. I've mostly stayed inside this warehouse, but it seems like you all have gone through so much."

"You have no idea."

-oooooo-

Michonne mostly held Judith while overseeing the progress of the fortification. She was getting used to this motherly role again. Rick could go crazy if he wanted to. These children would still be taken care of regardless. She always chose her words wisely; therefore she stayed far away from him for the time being. There was once a younger Michonne who threatened exes who played with her emotions. That version of her faded away long before the Turn; she learned that never helped the situation. She knew if she talked to Rick now, she might've cut him. There was more constructive things to do.

She walked inside to see Maggie laying with her eyes wide open. Glenn must have assumed she was still asleep; he was outside working with the others. Without a word, she smoothed Maggie's hair away from her face, as sisters would soothe each other without words.

-ooooo-

"Just open your ears and hear me out."

Rosita rolled her eyes. "You need to quit it with that, Abraham!"

"Look, you haven't noticed that the one with dreds is at the head now." He spoke lower. "Rick is not large and in charge anymore. I would have followed him into the depths, but he's off his rocker!"

"Okay, I'm hearing that that Laura chick looks like his wife. You telling me you wouldn't go crazy if you thought you saw your wife?"

The animation in Abraham paused. "Okay, true. I think I wouldn't know what to do."

"And don't try to plan anything between him and Michonne. This is messing with them pretty badly."

"What do you mean?"

She rolled her eyes at how oblivious he was, and moved on to kill a stray walker.

-ooooo-

Dinner consisted of squirrel soup, baked beans, bottled water, and peas. This was the second day of a hearty meal. Rick sat in a corner, alone, once again. Carl had enough.

He interrupted his father's daze. "Enough of this shit!"

Rick snapped out of it. "What? Watch your language!"

"You told me I was a man. Well, man to man, I'm gonna tell you that you need to snap out of it, Dad!"

Daryl was on his way to speak with Rick, but saw his son already beat him to the punch.

Rick stood up from his slouch to tower over Carl. "You better watch how you talk to me!"

"You know what, I can't right now. You're not being the leader you're supposed to be! That woman is not Mom – she's dead!" No tears left his eyes, but Rick's eyes reddened with the first drop. "You accepted it before, so why can't you now? You haven't even touched Judith since we got here! And do you know what you're doing to Michonne?"

Rick looked over to Michonne, who had been standing near the sleeping baby since they started arguing. His heart sank when he could read the hurt in her brown eyes. "Wha, what?"

Carl realized the entire warehouse was staring at them. "Ask her yourself," he told him in a low voice.

"I-I'm sorry," Rick apologized to Carl's back as he walked away.

Daryl tapped his shoulder, "I understand, brother. We all do."

Rick placed his hand on Daryl's and nodded his head. He stole one last glance to see Laura had a mole above her upper lip; something that Lori never had. He ran after Michonne, who slowly left the building.

-ooooo-

"Chonne!" he whispered.

She stopped in her tracks, just before the edge of the barrier they created earlier that day. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I was weak. I was foolish. I wasn't thinking."

"You know Rick, I get it. I get you, because I'm almost like you." She turned around to meet his eyes; her tears flowing down her skin that shined in the night. "Who's to say, if she acted like your wife, what you would do with me? If I saw anyone like Mike, I don't know what I would do about you?" She wasn't lying, but her last words had a tinge of vindictiveness.

His eyes squinted, "what would you do?"

She looked away from him while his hands still cupped her shoulders. "I have no idea"

He lifted his chin to look into those masterful eyes that he fell in love with. "Well, she's not Lori. And Lori is dead. And so is _Mike_. We have us, and we need each other." _Not good enough,_ Rick chastised himself. "I don't know what I would do without you Michonne. When you're gone, I'm lost. Me and you, we just fit. I don't even have to say a word to you, and we're already there." The more she cried, the more he did. He rarely saw this side of her. Each time he did made him love her more. He knew he had to protect her, a person who really did not need protection. She was more delicate than that katana let on.

His lips moved into hers, and lucky him, she kissed back. Their tongues began to passionately dance. All of the wait and frustration, the pain and the affection, was finally released. He held her close, hoping she would always be another part of his trinity that kept him grounded. He held that beautiful head of hers, as he began to suck on her neck. "You were right," he cried between kissing her collar bone, "I need you. I always needed you Michonne."

She pushed him off and wiped her tears. "It's not that easy, Rick. You can't just hurt me and expect me to just accept it. I'm always accepting, always forgiving! I got over so much that happened between us, because I see you. Because I understand you! I'm behind you 100% of the way, knowing you're a good man. Knowing you're a good leader. A good father. But mostly, because I fucking love you. You can't just finally admit you love me, and then forget about me…over someone who's not here!"

He pinched the bridge of our nose. "Can we start over, can we go ba-," Rick's mind flashed back to telling Officer "Bob" that he couldn't go back.

"What is this, a soap opera? I should have known better!" Michonne stormed back into the warehouse.

Rick hung his head in shame, and then looked to his left. Tara was several feet away on watch duty. _Awkward_, she thought to herself. Rick grimaced, noticing how badly he was exposed in a few minutes.

She tensely smiled, "if it means anything, everybody kind of knew about you two."

Rick only glared at her.

"B-but, I'm sure you two will make-up. You two are made for each other!" She gave a thumbs up.

"Why don't you go back in, I'll stay on watch?"

"Yep, sounds good to me!" Tara scampered past him.

**_AN: I initially planned to fluff out the ending here, but it just didn't seem right. It just seemed right for Rick to _****have it ****_in order to get back with reality. To be continued…_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_AN: Sorry for the wait. It's been a busy time – but I've been itching to get back to this story. I love the reviews ~ we'll see if Tyrese and Laura might be a good ship; yes, crazy Rick is never a Rick we love (except in memes); indeed, some of the fanfics I write have Michonne saying what I want her to say (lol); twists make the world go round; Abe and Rosita should have a reality TV show; lastly – Tara had to grow on me initially, but I so love her character also. Okay, now time to continue and not leave y'all hanging…_**

**Chapter 6:**** Trust**

The dog house. It should have really been called the couch. That's what it always was anyway. In their reality, there was really not many couches safe enough for a man who royally messed up to pitifully sleep the night away. Rick decided a full night watch would have to do. Although his tail was between his legs, he still maintained focus on the surroundings. He had been asleep way too long anyway since he saw Laura.

What was even worse was that he was in the dog house with Michonne. He didn't fear her, but he feared losing her. Wasn't that part of the reason he took so long to accept the inevitable, that he was in love with someone who could be lost?

Anyway, she wasn't the only person who he needed to earn redemption from.

*&%^$

"Here, take this."

"Thank you for your kindness as always, Tara. I'm undeserving."

"Oh, Eugene," Tara's soft face slightly smiled. "You know we're like peas in the pod."

Eugene looked at his fingers fumbling with open of can of beans. "You've been more honest to the people I've known here the longest in a few weeks than I've been in two years."

"Stop it, we talked about this before. You did what you had to survive. We've all done something to stay alive."

Eugene frowned. "You say that, but Abraham still wants to whoop my ass."

Tara paused. "True. He'll probably get over it." There was silence as they watched Michonne feeding Judith, talking with an awake Maggie. Carl, Glenn, and Noah were nearby, conversing about what they've learned about hunting small animals from Daryl. "I saw some stuff last night."

Eugene's spirit jumped. "Rosita and Ab-"

"No. You have to keep it between me and you."

"Scout's honor."

Tara hesitated. "Rick and Michonne."

"Oh sweet Lord!"

She scowled at her friend's oddball behavior for the first time. "Calm down, and it didn't actually go down like you think."

"No?" Eugene frowned.

"No, it almost did. But, Michonne stopped him. She was so pissed at him and wasn't having it."

"Having what?"

"Eugene, dude, where have you been?!" Tara asked sharply.

"Watching Laura and Tyrese. Something may happe-"

"Okay, whatever. I just saw something real sad. I don't know, those two just ooze being in love. They're so badass… I hope they get it together and make many chocolate vanilla swirl babies." Her eye's drifted off.

"Impossible. In this world, it is highly probable for -"

"Eugene!" He calmly looked at Tara. "You're ruining my high..."

They stared at each other for a bit. "I don't recall seeing you inhale anything."

"\€/#!

Noah had kept to himself for the past 24 hours. Ever the Marvel fan, Michonne was Storm to him. He was amazed at how she majestically worked her katana. She was lightening striking. However, she now scared the shit out of him. He also held Rick in high regard as the type of person he'd want as a leader. Then he had an instant meltdown. They still seemed much better than the powers that be at Grady Hospital. He was more conflicted with the thought that they were the perfect type of people to be with, even more than his own people.

He was caught off guard when Rick interrupted a conversation he and Carl had about the best cooked versions of squirrel.

"You two, let's go."

Carl retorted, "Excuse me?"

"Let's go. We need to check the snares."

"Noah and me can check the snares, Rick."

His father's jaw clenched. "It wasn't a request."

Carl glanced at Michonne, helping Judith walk. Those two had an odd exchange; without any words Rick and Michonne took care of the baby. Rick had a moment of joy when his hand touched hers accidentally. Carl knew she'd eventually forgive his dad, but that didn't mean he had to be nice.

The air was too quiet for Noah. "I'll go. I need to learn a thing or two about that."

Rick still glared at Carl. The killer didn't give a murderous look, but he regretted never giving his son a spanking. He knew the day would come when his son would test him because of a natural surge in testosterone. That surge came way too often since the Turn. "He needs to come with me also."

"If I need to learn anything about hunting, I could go to Daryl. He-"

"Hey Carl, remember how you told me about possums? Maybe you could show me other ways of catching animals."

Carl sighed. Noah had some weak attempts, but he was in the middle of a tense situation that he had nothing to do with. "Fine, "he muttered between pursed lips.

Of course, the walk was harshly quiet. Abraham may have been right; there weren't many walkers and barely any buildings.

"We should scout the area more while we're out here;" Rick instructed.

"Okay," responded Noah.

"This place seems safe. But you already know that nowhere is safe. This Laura character seems okay, but of course we can't just trust her."

Carl laughed.

Rick's skinny but strong body stopped. He cocked his head. "Did I say something funny?"

"You lost your mind over a woman you barely even know. Now you're telling me we can't just give her our trust just yet. I already know that. You taught me better than that."

Rick subconsciously grinned. "I was thinking we'd set some snares a bit of a distance from..." His voice trailed off, seeing jawless and armless walkers. He instantly recognized the precise ways of how they were sliced. Carl and Noah awkwardly looked at each other as Rick's heart sank. "What the...? "

"Do you really want to know?"

Rick knew the woman who mystified him. He knew when Merle said she had pets on chains who followed her, which she had to have a certain mindset to do it. He also knew that she was growing to hate that part of herself, and was even at peace with temporarily being away from her katana. "I already do." He took in the lasting images of the neutered creatures, before hacking at their heads with his machete. The young men joined him.

Rick breathed heavily. "Lemme tell you two some thangs about life. Life can be short, even shorter in the world we live in. But you have to be careful about those around you. Once you let people in, they can be family. Noah, you're becoming a part of our family. But, there can be some you let in just a bit more. When you ask that person to do the same, you have to be careful. Asking someone to take that risk can be more powerful than asking them to fight with you. Messing that up," he looked at the still walkers, "that can be worse than death."

!÷_#%7=

Rosita tried to inconspicuously fix her clothes as she left the bus, but Daryl's gaze on her was too knowing. She smirked to further pretend that nothing happened, but he moved on to help Sasha with some wood, and to impress that he really didn't give a damn. She sighed and continued to walk into the building. Abraham followed right after her; he really didn't two Jimminy Crickets if anyone noticed.

"So much fornication," Father Gabriel mumbled to himself.

"Really?" Michonne was helping him take walkers off of wooden stakes.

"Oh, um."

She chuckled. "Do you think old morals could exist here?"

They dragged a body closer to the stack of wood that Sasha and Daryl were creating. "Well, without morals, or the word of God, what much do you have?"

Michonne waited until they finally meet their destination. "Well, you have the people you trust...and new morals. The old ways only get in the way."

He patted his sweaty forehead. "You say that, but I'll never stop being devout."

She shrugged, "if that's what gets you by."

Gabriel's eyebrows furrowed, "who were you before all of this. I can't believe you were always like this. You so easily kill, but helped me and are so protective of the children."

Michonne could not help her smile. She wasn't sure if Gabriel intended that off-handed statement to be a compliment, but he was the only person, besides Andrea and Carl you ask her who she was. "Well, I was..."

She could feel his blue eyes before he got it of the woods to the clearing where she and Gabriel stood. He said some words to the young men, and they walked off towards the warehouse. The power he had over her - he couldn't be allowed to know it. She hated the fact that a simple look always made her panties wet.

"Michonne," asked Gabriel.

"Oh," she fumbled, "I got distracted."

"It's okay. Maybe the past is too hard to think abo-"

"Excuse me Gabriel. Michonne and I have to talk," Rick's voice smoothly interrupted. He only looked at her as he spoke.

"Okay, but we have so many more of these, um, bodies that we have to clean up."

"I wasn't really asking." Rick's body shifted to Gabriel, cocking his head to the left. "I left you off the hook, but you put my woman and my children's lives in danger. Be happy that you're still breathing."

Gabriel scampered off.

"That was unnecessary. What if he runs off? "

"What if he does? He's lucky I haven't killed him." Michonne knew he could have. He placed his hands on her arms. "Michonne, I don't know if or when you'll ever forgive me. I hope you will. It's gotten to the point that I know you'll be that for me, that you'll just do thangs without me having to ask. I lost myself when we got here, and didn't consider how that could affect you. I'm sorry, words can't even fit how sorry I am. But if us being together hurts you, I'd rather you just be around than to break you. You make me complete, but I love you enough to"

Her plump lips quieted him with a soft kiss. "Don't do that Rick. We don't have to hurt ourselves more than we already have."

Their foreheads touched as they inhaled the same air. He pressed her body closer, enjoying the embrace of her smooth skin and toned body. He was at home. Who needed to chase ghosts when the living felt so good? He moved in for a kiss.

Her finger stopped his lips. "You still have work to do."

Rick smiled and pinched his nose. "Not out of the dog house yet?"

"Hell no! Go help Gabriel with the rest of the walkers."


	7. Chapter 7

**_AN: Sorry for the last false update; the chapters looked all discombobulated and needed some cleaning up. I'm also sorry that it took a while to update this (apologies are all over the place). Busy time and all ~ I also think we're near the point where Rick can have some redemption here (I've noticed that in some of my fics he isn't looking too good in the relationship department, and that might come from my own personal issues where someone is in the doghouse and is trying to scratch their way out…anyway). _**

**_I LOVE LOVE LOVE the reviews! Y'all are making this girl blush (especially Phantom)! BTW, I love many of your stories too and can't wait for your updates, but I understand how this time of the year is hectic. _**

**Chapter 7: A New Beginning**

He rubbed his eyes to see if he saw what he thought he saw. Indeed, it was still there. He had seen all types of corpses for the past few years. There was the dead guy who walked around with his heart and intestines hanging out. Several could only move using their arms to propel their severed torso. There were also a few so flattened to the ground by moving vehicles that they became part of the road. But this? This was new and not something that just "happened". There had to be at least 10 dead ones laying on the ground, missing arms and lower jaws. He ran off to tell the others - they had company.

-00000-

Maggie Greene woke up on an incredibly sunny day. She rose from the arm her husband sacrificed as her pillow, and instinctively rubbed the blood back into it. Her eyes took in the vast warehouse and all of the supplies it held. Her friends, her family, were all peacefully resting with the exception of Abraham and Rosita on watch duty. She knew she was painfully blessed in a cruel world. Her studies in college exposed her to some realities of ongoing evils, but that past failed in comparison to the corrosive present. She was the last of the Greenes, but she wasn't alone in that solitude. The pain would take a while, but she'd be okay.

Baby Judith had slowly awaken and ruined l rubbed her adorable lathe eyes. Maggie swept her up before she could begin her morning cries while near her father. She began humming the songs that flowed through her household every morning except Sundays. Mornings used to be hard, but now they were golden.

-0000000-

Daryl loved humor. He might have been outwardly annoyed when Carol called him "Pookie", but he looked forward to it every time. It was the many ironies of life that always got him as well.

"Okay, I like to laugh too. What is it?" Carol inquired as she slung a rope full of dead small mammals.

Daryl stopped his minor chuckle and rubbed his chin. "Michonne can be cruel."

The good friends stared at each other for a few moments, and burst into laughter.

-000000-

"Do you need anything else, Father Gabriel?"

The clergyman pause in thinking was periodically interrupted with "hmmm" and hand rubbing. Rick changed his stance and have movement several times, trying to calm the urge to take his machete to his head.

"I want to say...yes, but, I don't know. Maybe we should put the pew there instead. "

Abe was right on time with his teasing giggle to Rick's growl. The Ringleader bit his lip when he noticed that, but continued to move the pew to a new location. They had been, wait, scratch that. Rick had been working on Gabriel's sanctuary since breakfast. The anger rising up in him was familiar to what he felt towards the Governor and the Termites.

After he finished moving the newly made furniture, he had to get something off his chest. "Gabriel, you care so much about this," he waved his hand at the makeshift church, "but what about your survival?"

Gabriel was perplexed. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't know how to fend for yourself in this world. You're concerned about a damn church, still haven't killed a walker."

"It is against the faith to kill."

Rick cocked his head. "They're not human."

"But they once were."

"They once were," Rick retorted. "They're not anymore. You're luck you made it this far. You're lucky I haven't killed you."

Gabriel flinched. "By the grace of God and faith, I've made it this far. This isn't the first time you said that." His sweaty fingers patted a handkerchief on his forehead.

Rick glared at him. "No, it isn't. I'm not with you, being so oblivious to what's going on. But your stupidity shouldn't kill the rest of us."

Gabriel swallowed. "Okay, I understand that. But we all fall short and make mistakes. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I just needed to know..."

"You didn't want to trust us. Carl and Michonne protected you, and they didn't have to. My daughter could have died because you're an idiot."

"That was unnecessary," Gabriel quietly stated.

"Well, don't expect me to be nice."

"I don't think Michonne would like that."

Rick deeply sighed. "What else do we need to do?" Rick grumbled. He had to say one last thing, "you better keep praying that she won't let me kill you."

-000000-

Their laughter roared through the building - enough to make Rick think it was at his expense. He looked to see the two women weren't paying attention to him, and continued to play with Judith as he talked with Carl and Noah.

"And that's when I learned, depending on crack perm had to come to an end," continued Sasha. "Freaking walkers had to show me that natural hair was the only way to go."

Michonne continued to smile, picturing her friend's struggle with uncontrolled hair while fighting for her life. "Well I guess if you weren't such a fighter, you would not have made it."

Sasha shook her head. "I guess, but it was hard to get used to. So much was happening- after a while I forgot what that stuff was, and that once upon a time it was important." They were suddenly silent. "So, how long have you had dreads?"

Michonne discontinued a frown. "Oh, in high school. I fell in love with Erykah Badu's dreads, just to find out it was a wig!"

Their laughter erupted once again. "Do you think Rick knows anything about it?"

"Girl, please! I've caught him staring at them way too much. I'm just waiting for him to ask to touch one."

"When will you let him off the hook?"

"When would you?"

Sasha's eyebrows scrunched up. "I don't know. I did some stupid stuff after Bob died, but I'd be pissed off in your shoes too. I'd give it a while. But time is short."

"I know." Michonne looked at Rick when he couldn't notice. "We finally admitted who we are to each other, and then..."

Sasha nodded her head understandingly. "Did you ever meet her?"

"No" she hesitated. "I showed up the day after she died. She was beautiful. There was a picture of the three of them, looking so picture perfect. It might sound stupid, but it was as if I was competing with a ghost. But the same thing could have happened to him if the shoe was on the other foot.

Sasha felt blessed. Michonne was opening up more and more to her; so she did exist before the Turn! She wanted to ask questions about her past, but let it be. "Hmm well your man and my brother must have had the same type of woman. Tyrese has forgotten that I exist." They laughed again.

-0000000-

It wasn't just the night air giving her Goosebumps. Rosita walked quickly to where Glenn was posted.

"Hey," she loudly whispered. "I feel like someone's watching..."

She felt a burning pain in her leg. Her fingers touched the sticky outpour of blood. Glenn yelled out and many rushed to the outside with their weapons. Clearly, they weren't the only residents of Alchipoa.


	8. Chapter 8

**_AN: _**_Writing these stories are becoming a stress reliever. Onto some responses:_

**_kimyso: _**_Hey, Lori's at least not ugly…right? Right?_

**_literaturechick: _**_Thanks, as always, for your reviews! I'd love to see Noah and Carl become friends on the show. There aren't too many young people around, so why not?_

**_ezillyamused: _**_Sasha and Michonne both seem to have a type of no-nonsense attitude. I could see them talking to each other as friends._

**_Nay766: _**_Tyrese seems like the lover-lover type, a smooth type of man who knows how to use his words right. Is there something developing between him and Laura? IDK_

_Without further ado, here is the next chapter. I try to think of the bigger picture with this story. So…here we go…_

**Chapter 8: The Guerillas**

Guerilla warfare was now commonplace. This war tactic, which could actually be more ancient than when Alexander the Great led his army to many battles, resurfaced in the 20th century in modern wars. All of the advanced technology had to adapt to camouflaging with nature. A true soldier had to figure out how to live off of nature of need be.

All of that historical nonsense meant nothing now. Rick would probably never take out the time to teach his son, one of the last children on earth, about people in the past who made great changes to the world. But one thing that stuck was human mentality: we're low on supplies. I don't know you. You have what I need. You might just have to die. Rick begrudgingly taught his son how to fight in battle.

Everyone who lived now had weapons (unless they were a hermit like Laura and Gabriel). Everyone crossed that threshold of civility and killed to be here. Everyone could not be trusted. Take for instance, Jeremiah. He was a cook in these parts. He donated on a consistent basis and helped at the local church. There was not one mean bone in that there Jeremiah. Then, he was working one night at the Rib Shack, and saw something horrid. The patrons were in an uproar, trying to stop a dirty man from eating a child. He said nothing as he approached the scene and hacked at the man's head. He was the only one to stop the monster, despite everyone weeks else's efforts. This is what led the gentle hearted giant to be their leader, who accepted any lonesome traveler into their group. He made the right decisions when I it came to sadly ending the lives of their own who turned. He helped in figuring out how to keep eating and thriving. However, he was forever changed when he naively took in people who stole from them, and killed off several of his small group as a going away present. They had drifted from town to town after that, not giving a shit about what circumstances the next group might be going through.

When Daniel told him there were severed bitters in the woods, Jeremiah seriously considered the situation.

"That wus some scary shit J! You reckon we go in another direction?"

Jeremiah rubbed his rugged beard. The black man forgot what a shave was. "Were there any buildings nearby?"

"Yea, sum warehouse looking thing."

"They might have what we need."

"Did ya hear me? There were body parts all over the place! That sounds like sum deep shit ta me!" The emaciated eyes nearly popped out of his socket. "I'm willing to follow you wherever you go, boss, but did shit right here is crazy. We don't know what type of people mess up so many bitters for fun. Who da fuck has time for dat, anyway?"

Jeremiah breathed heavily. He looked over to his side to see mostly skeleton like beings walking; his people were starting to resemble the dead. "I don't give a fuck who they are...we're going."

-0000000-

None of these people were soldiers from the military. Where was the military anyway? Anyhow, people instinctively knew to hide behind trees. Some naturally grew into being sharp shooters somehow. Some still needed training. Anna Mae meant to hit the woman wearing barely there clothes in the head, but was way off and shot her leg (part of her wanted her dead because she missed having a body like that). Roscoe meant to take out the Asian, but didn't expect him to pick up something from the ground to dodge bullets (Michonne, Rick, and Abe, being the strategists they were, decided to leave shields in the front, just in case). Their people also didn't expect the grenades that were thrown their way once the door flew open.

Daniel was pissed. Jeremiah usually had more sense, but he must have been desperate after they buried the last child in their group. He was cursing to himself until he ran into an arrow, piercing through his head at just the right time.

Daryl and Carol were stealthily taking out their enemies without warning. This is how the world had made them. She was once just a scared mouse. That person had apparently died in a different way than those of whom she was putting down. A frail woman begged for mercy before her blade entered her skull. Daryl stared at his comrade.

"What?" whispered Carol's reply. "Mercy is the fact that she won't turn."

He nodded.

-0000000-

"Well you're old enough to stay here and protect Gabriel, Eugene, Noah and Judith," Michonne explained. "We don't have to keep this going."

Carl could only agree. Gabriel already proved he needed his help.

Rick showed his love by kissing Judith, rubbing Carl's head, and staring in his eyes to let him know he was a man. "We'll be back."

Maggie was already out there with her man, Tara, Sasha, and Tyrese. Something about defending her family was giving her life again. The background work that Carol and Daryl had done allowed Maggie to charge at a few, her face excited in battle mode, and head butt them with her rifle instead of firing it.

Laura watched these people in their mode. She forgot how scary they seemed when she met them - they were ready to kill each other just about. She rubbed her shoulder for comfort, but relaxed when she saw that Tyrese was not really joining the fight. Was she falling for this man? She controlled her thoughts and ran to Abraham, who was wrapping Rosita's wound on the bus.

"I was a nurse. I can help."

Abe looked at her, and then to Rosita who nodded in agreement. "Well, okay then. They ain't gonna ride into the sunset after shooting my piece of ass."

Laura grimaced and Rosita rolled her eyes with embarrassment. The nurse peaked outside to see why Rick was still trying to work his way out of the doghouse. Michonne effortlessly worked her katana, side by side with Rick as he hacked away with his machete. Something about the magic between those two even turned her on.

"Yea, I know right," Rosita interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

Rosita chuckled. "Me, Abe, Eugene, and Tara are still kinda new to the group. But all of us could tell that if those two haven't been fucking, they need to be fucking. I'm sure it would be epic!"

Laura laughed to herself. That type of language would have disgusted her in the past. However, she had to agree...and was happy Rick's obsession of how she resembled his dead wife was gone. "Alright, let's concentrate on your leg."

-00000000-

Jeremiah didn't plead when Rick cut him down. Most of the anger coming from Rick's movements were from knowing this fight would lead walkers to their place of residence.

"Did you see a lot of them?" He asked.

Carol and Daryl gave each other looks. "There's a small herd coming, looked like they were a mile away. But I don't think we can handle them right after a fight," Daryl analyzed.

Rick's face twitched, facing the repetitive reality of stability. "Let's get everyone on the bus. Take all of the supplies." He announced.

No one missed a beat and hopped to their duties. They knew that eventually there wouldn't be enough gas in the tank, but what else was there to do?

Abraham approached Rick. "I'll talk to you now rather than surprise you later like before."

Rick cocked his head to the left. He'll take Abe being upfront about any ideas, rather than just make decision like he was the leader.

"Appalachian mountains. I doubt the dead had muscles to climb into those."

Rick deeply sighed. "Doing runs from there won't be easy," Michonne answered for him.

Abe smiled to himself. What were they, twins? "You know they have small towns in there. We are the type of people who could handle it."

The Ringleader and samurai nodded in contemplation. "Bet, let's do it."

Sasha led the way for Tyrese and Laura on the bus, after the rest of the group got on. Laura got on without incident, after Michonne gave him a look of approval to let her on. The last person was Gabriel, trying to drag on parts of his small makeshift church.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rick grabbed his arm.

Gabriel gave Michonne puppy dog eyes to approve of his luggage. "No, you know better than that," she nearly laughed. "Just leave that and get on the bus already.

She nearly stepped in, until someone pulled her back.

"We're forgetting one thing." Rick enclosed her, and held the back of her head as he engulfed her mouth with his.

"I didn't say you were out of the doghouse yet." She smiled.

"But I will be." Her lower body melted, knowing this was true.

"About damn time," yelled Glenn's voice.

"Let's roll it lover birds, before some walkers have y'all for a two for one dinner," Abraham belted.


	9. Chapter 9

**_AN:_**_**Do you know what today is? It's Wednesday! That means we have four more days to use fanfiction, Netflix, Amazon, DVD sets, reruns on AMC, social media, and forums to compensate for our obsessions of TWD (or is that just sad lil' ol' me)? **_**And of course I don't own The Walking Dead, any of their characters, the AMC, yadda yadda yadda****_._**

**_Alex311: _**_Thanks for the compliments! I always loved the dynamic between Miconne & Carl. Hopefully, what happens in this chapter won't make things weird between them. Losing family is tough- I'm trying to see how I'd feel if I was Maggie._

**_ezilyamused: _**_Crying all day wasn't going to get Maggie out of depression. I had to think of something to bring her up while others were going through their own thing (kicking myself for not having her talk more with Sasha…dang it! lol). Ironically, fighting seemed the way to go. Abe is a person you write as not giving a fuck when he talks or speaks…ah, I love it. Rosita might be fangirling, but she's not always a fan (you'll see)._

**_literaturechick: _**_Thanks, as always, for the compliments. I plan to grow some more self-awareness._

**_Guest: _**_lol, are you being sarcastic? Your comment was so funny that I literally thought about it…for days. Ha! Man-tears. I should tell my current ex that he hasn't met the quota of man-tears for me to consider taking him back. But seriously, I think he didn't mourn his brother's death till the ends of time. Besides, Daryl strikes me as someone who will kick himself for crying too much (and psssst, I'm more of a Caryl-er than a Bethyl-er. If TPTB make him into a crybaby over this girl for more than one episode….I'll be highly pissed and continue to watch!). Okay, I've gone way overboard with responding to this. ::Clears throat::_

**_kimyso:_**_ Your response also had me cracking up for days. Okay, I'll be honest – Lori had her moments of redemption, but I didn't like her too much either. I hoped their marriage could be repaired, but loved Andrea when she told her off about women's "duties". Ugh…Lori had it better than most and still made it seem like she had it the worst. Some guys like a boyish body type…I don't understand it, but yea…I'm getting too involved in this comment also, lol. _

**_As always, thanks for viewing and reviewing. _**

**Chapter 9: Take Care**

Her mouth continued to move. In his mind, the words that escaped were angelic. He loved her energy and that beautiful smile that he hadn't seen in weeks. He wasn't the luckiest man on earth just because he was alive. He had to be because he was lucky enough to belong to her. They were on the road to possibly nowhere, but all he could feel was bliss. Some of her clouds had finally lifted. If she was lighter, his load wasn't so heavy.

"Glenn, did you hear a word I said?"

See? She was even smiling over what some of his exes punched him about when he got lost in video games. To top it off, that smile was golden.

"Maggie, I can't lie to you. I wasn't listening. I'm just happy that you seem...better."

She shrugged. "What is better, you know? They'll never come back and I feel almost like I could have tried to look for Beth like I looked for you." All her husband could do was hold her hands as her eyes showed tears that didn't shed. "But I didn't. There's nothing I can do about that now, and, seeing where she was at, I probably wouldn't have been able to. I can't stop living just because my family's gone. My family is here. You all are my family. But I can't be in my own world, like I've always been. Everyone here lost people. I can't believe," her almond eyes focused on Glenn, "I never asked you..."

His grip tightened. "All of you are my family."

"I know, you always say that. You always care and do for everyone, but what about you?"

He looked at the bus floor, sighing deeply. "Her name was Lela. My mom was Lela Rhee. It was her, my older brother Jim, and my little sister Kristen. Mom did it all by herself - I never met my dad. Whoever he was, I heard he died in South Korea and didn't want to move to the US, even though his wife and kids were here. So anyway, Mom did it all by herself. She always got on my case about doing something with my life. Jim lived in NY doing IT. Kristen went on to become a physical therapist in Dallas. In the end, it was just me and mom. Me being a pizza delivery boy, and I was okay with it. She said I'd die playing video games. Instead, I found her..."

His eyes were watery with no tears. "I'm sorry," Maggie whispered.

"Yea. You live with it every day. The people we knew, who was with us from the beginning, they're all gone now. It was another life, but their lives mattered and help made us into the people we are today - people who've survived. When I found her, I regretted not doing more with my life. But I remembered how she taught us that we were important and life is worth living, no matter how hard it gets. She loved me enough to know how to love others. And now I have all of you, especially you."

Maggie meekly smiled.

"Don't forget Jimmy, Beth, your dad. Don't forget any of them. But know they wouldn't ever want you to give up."

-000000000-

"So, have you ever been to those mountains?" asked Rick.

Abraham snickered. "Yea, as much as I've been to outer space."

Michonne spoke before Rick, "there's nothing funny about not being absolutely sure about where we're going. Besides it just being a bunch of mountains and up north, do you know anything about it?"

Rosita rolled her eyes. She was seriously getting tired of how interrogative Rick and Michonne could be. One was enough to make someone uneasy. Both at the same time made her really stand her guard. Abraham, however, seemed unfazed.

"I might not know much about the Appalachian Mountains besides an occasional National Geographic special, but unless you - Moe and Curly - can come up with something better, that looks like where we should be heading. You two were okay with it when you were in lover's paradise. What's so different now?"

Rick rubbed his beard while he and Michonne stared at each other. They didn't need words to convey that Abraham's colorful words made sense.

"Well," Rick asserted. "We mind as well stay as high as possible, and somehow near water. It would be great if we could farm there too, but that could be wishful thinking."

Michonne added, "We should get maps if we pass a gas station."

"And we mind as well get a GPS while we're at it," Daryl's voice came out of the blue. Everyone turned to him with a surprised look. Agitation was only apparent on Abraham and Rosita. On the other hand, Rick and Michonne knew he must have had something good to say. "I'm just sayin', you coulda asked me if I know anything about that area" (Michonne winced, knowing he meant that he fell into a certain stereotype) "or ask our new Olive Oil - Lori 2.0." Everyone who was there on Hershel's farm got the reference, and that was just a few: Carol, Glenn, Maggie, Carl, and especially Rick. Rick, lucky man that he was, was off the hook with Michonne. Yet, this gave Daryl jokes for days.

Rick uncomfortably shifted his pose as Carol smirked. "Why would we ask Laura?"

Laura's eyes widened. She finally got that she was part of the joke.

"She doesn't live too far from it. She might know a thang or two about it."

"And you?"

"Man, me an' Merle got around enough. Besides, I did have family up there."

Carol could tell by the way he said _did_ that he didn't care to look for them.

"Laura, do you know anythang about those mountains," Rick asked.

"I can't say that I do. I just saw it as a place for me to not live at – it was mainly impoverished because it was so hard to get in and out of," replied Laura. Daryl sucked his teeth when she said "impoverished". He might have not gotten far in school to know many big words, but that was one he always recognized. He was slowly determining if he liked Olive Oil 2.0 being around.

Daryl grunted, "well, maybe the non-_impoverished_ had a tough time getting' in and out. But _real_ people didn't." He wanted to insult Laura, but recalled a visit to a country club with Beth where he had those same feelings. He chuckled to himself. Who cared about status anymore? Most of those suckers were dead anyway. "Anyway, I know an area where it's too high for those fuckin' walkers, not too high for us, and enough water."

Sasha spoke up, "and if we need some flat land, we can make it so we can farm."

"How could we do that," inquired Michonne.

"Terraforming. The Chinese did it often," Sasha responded. Everyone looked at her questioningly. "What? Abe isn't the only one who used to watch National Geographic."

_Belch!_ Carl's face reddened when everyone's face turned towards his. Burping Judith had been successful, so successful that it lightened everyone's moods. Maybe, just maybe, things would get better for long enough.

-00000000000-

Michonne and Rick had just finished clearing a gas station. He couldn't help but to look at the sway of her hips as she swung her katana. He had a sense of fulfillment, knowing that he could now stare all he wanted to – even more, he could caress her soft skin without fearing violating. Still, it seemed nothing changed between them. This was just a progression of what always was there. Besides, he always took the liberty of looking anyway.

"Grimes, are you staring again?"

He grinned. "And if I am?"

Michonne turned to face him, her gorgeous smile brightened her face, as she whipped walker blood off of her blade. "Then you're a bad boy."

"What happens to bad boys?"

"Well," she inched closer, "they get punished."

"Maybe I need to be punished then." He wrapped his arms around her. She could feel the growth from his pants before his soft lifts planted on hers. She escaped college in the past with weed, and it would smooth out the edges of a tense period in her life. That was easy to not depend on. But this? He easily took her to a new high, and they hadn't even had sex yet. She heard the moans escape her lips as his tongue played with hers. It was easy to forget where she was and why she was there. The tingling sensation down below made her just want to own that moment and rip his shirt off. Who hadn't seen the rare moments Rick Grimes was shirtless at the prison? However, she couldn't do to his chest what she wanted to do now. All she desired was to get to know his body better – become one with it as she rode the waves of his manhood – and from the feel of it, she would not be disatisfi-

"Rick!"

"Mmmm?"

"We have to stop."

He sighed. He wanted to ravish her, but when a woman said stop, you stop. "Michonne…"

She breathed heavily while his forehead never left hers. "They're waiting for us on the bus. We'll finish this up later."

He smiled. "You can't even look me in the eyes when you say that." Caressing her cheek didn't make it any better for her resistance. "We've done nothing but wait. We keep playing around like time is always around, but it's not." Rick thought for a second, trying to figure out how to redirect the conversation. He didn't want it to continue on the path of how bad reality was. "You know, I wanted you since I met you."

Michonne snickered. "No, you didn't. You were defensive, erratic, and going through a lot."

"Well, yea, I was going through some thangs. It wasn't easy. But seeing you, I don't know, it was confusing. All you used to do was scowl and frown. There were times I thought of how I could change that look on you. At the same time, I felt guilty for even thinking that. I wanted to not trust you, but you mystified me enough that I wanted you around when I didn't want you around."

She laughed, "I was no different from anyone else who would have gone through what I did." Rick gazed at her, waiting for her to continue a narrative about events that she rarely talked about. She didn't elaborate, but he put it on his list to make sure she would one day. "I understood you, but I couldn't stand you. You know, I really wanted to kick your ass several times."

He laughed, and then noticed she was not smiling. "Is that right?" She nodded in reply. "Did you ever get over it?"

"Obviously."

"No, that's not good enough. I was a jerk. What if I let you slap me?"

Michonne frowned. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Think about how you came to the prison, and I almost let walkers bite you until Carl did somethang about it. Think of how many times I waved a gun in your face. Think about how I even considered giving you to-"

SMACK! Rick didn't even flinch. "Again." She fiercely complied. "That's what I'm talking about!" Their eyes burned into each other, only to be melt away with fiery kisses and the shedding of their pants. He lifted her onto the cashier's counter, grouping her breast as his tongue sucked on her neck. Her hands played with his curls. It was unbelievable that she was already close to ecstasy, but that was not close enough. He kneeled down and spread her legs. Her eyes rolled back at the realization that he was about to do what she thought he was about to do. His lips took over her clit. His tongue never stopped, unless it was to say "I'm sorry," "Michonne," or "I love you". She teared up from the pleasure and the pain. Rick rose up, intently looking into her soul. His eyes never left her as he slowly entered. They both gasped in unison at the feeling that they sometimes thought they would never feel again. What made it even better was who they shared it with. He wiped her tears as he pumped in and out, her wetness overflowing.

"I will never hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise." They followed it with more engaging of the lips and moans. Eventually, the moans couldn't be contained.

-00000000-

_Meanwhile…_

Noah and Carl decided to stand at the side of the bus to stretch out a bit and help guide Judith in walking.

"Don't you think we've been here a bit way too long," pondered Carl.

"Yea, they should be safe, right?" Noah wondered.

Carl groaned, "I don't know man. Maybe I should check it."

As soon as he stepped around the corner, Daryl rushed him, Noah, and Judith inside the bus. "Maybe y'all should stay here for a lil while."

"No, what happened? I can help, you know that," Carl objected.

Daryl left his hand on his chest to stop him without being forceful. "Yea, I know. There's nothing wrong. It's just best for y'all to stay in here for a sec."

Someone yelled from inside the gas station. It sounded almost like Michonne. _OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod!_

Noah shifted uncomfortably. Father Gabriel, who was already on the bus, motioned a sign of the cross and began to pray.

"Is that Michonne, can she be hurt?"

Noah intervened. "Nah, dude, we should just stay in here."

Carl looked outside to see others walk towards the bus. The only ones not moving were Tara and Eugene. Tara was trying to push him away from the station. It seemed like he was trying his best to peek inside.

"Ewww," was all Carl could conclude.


	10. Chapter 10

_**AN: If I'm writing here, you know I don't own anything related to The Walking Dead or AMC. Thank you all so much for the reading, reviewing, and following! The show is giving me life right now!**_

_**itscalledkarma: **__Glad the last chapter made you clutch your pearls._

_**cakebythepound: **__Nothing's wrong with laughing at Abraham's expressions!_

_**ezillyamused: **__Yes, Rosita better check herself (lol)! I have the most trouble writing for her, because she has been around mostly as eye candy. I had to write Daryl as the Daryl I fell in love with. Same with Glenn. Thanks as always for your comments! Let's see how clueless Carl was about the whole thing (ewww, in my teenager voice)._

_**kimyso:**__ I guess you're gonna find out who knew about the gas station incident in this chapter. Thanks as always!_

_**literaturechick: **__Wouldn't it be nice if Rick decided he waited long enough on the show…excuse me, sorry, I blanked out for a sec. Anyway, yes, kids should stay on the bus. Thanks again!_

_**Alex311: **__You killed me with the "smack that was heard throughout the South" comment! Gabriel may need more reasons to pray soon._

**Chapter 10: The Roads**

Tara noticed that Eugene wasn't tagging along as her shadow like he used to. She had an idea as to why, but if her inkling was true then her patience with him might actually wane. She never outwardly admitted how some of his ways vexed her, but that was because she felt as if she was his protector. Abe quit that position and was often looking at Eugene like prey. Tara had to reason with herself that friends do get annoyed with each other from time to time.

She sighed and walked to his seat. "Eugene?" He looked the other way. "Why are you upset with me?"

"There are not many joys men can have nowadays," began his monologue. "Before, a man could do what he pleased in order to have some type of fulfillment. The ladies didn't love me, so I found my way. Then everything went to shit. You're lonely, just like me. I'd think you would have allowed me to see what I don't get to do. I probably will never get the chance to see girl on girl action between you and someone else." Tara glared at him. "However, that was my one chance to see an interracial couple in person. And I don't mean the typical black man and white woman like Tyrese and Lori, or Asian guy with a white woman like Glenn and Maggie..."

Tara rose her hand. "Oh my God. Okay, I'm gonna need you to stop. You're gonna have to stop that. People are not here for your personal porn viewing pleasure."

"You say that, but..."

"But I probably saved your life. They both use long sharp objects pretty well, and probably wouldn't hesitate chopping you down."

He frowned even more. "Then why did they do it in a way that everyone could watch?"

"Hey fuck face," Carl rudely interrupted. He was only two rows down on the bus, but could hear the whole conversation. "You won't need to worry about just them if you keep on being a perv. Now shut up."

Eugene's back shot straight up in a perfect right angle. He reacted in a way a student would if they were chastised by a stereotypical nun in a Catholic school. That "kid" could be scary at times. Tara wanted to tell Carl that his language was horrible, but really couldn't blame him.

She leaned in to whisper to her friend. "I'll try to find a porn mag for you, okay?"

Eugene gave her puppy dog eyes. "Promise?"

She exhaled and pinched her nose. "There's not even a promise of eating...I'll see what I can do."

-00000000000-

They didn't have much conversation since the pit stop. Words weren't needed to express their amazement that it finally happened. The ecstasy competed with embarrassment. Everyone knew what happened. Anyone with ears knew. Rick wanted to be as nonchalant as Abe was after his many apparent rendezvous with Rosita, but he did, on some level, care about what his people thought. Then again, those intimate moments had to happen again with her. It was something to remind him that he was still alive. Even better was that this was something he wanted from the start. He was slowly removing himself from guilt. He was no cheater. Lusting over a woman the day after his wife died? Yes, that was bad. Consummation of love with someone important long after the death of a spouse? Maybe not so much.

Her head shifted in his shoulder as baby Judith rested on her chest. He proudly beamed...they were so beautiful, even more so with each other. Carl didn't say a word to him when they entered the bus. He just handed Judith to him and stormed off to sit next to Noah in the middle.

Okay, Rick could give two shits if anyone heard Michonne's possessed screams. They were mostly adults and he had to deal with their smells and attitudes, Abe and Rosita's moans, and Father Gabriel's judgmental eyes. They could deal with the one time he and Michonne let go (and boy, did she). However, he felt true remorse for putting Carl, and even Noah through that. He had to plan this a lot better without disgusting his son.

Making love to Michonne couldn't be a onetime event.

-00000000-

Sasha decided to set up a perch on top of the bus at nightfall. Michonne offered to stay up there with her.

"I'd figure you would have wanted to be part of the new leadership," commented Sasha.

"We all are, aren't we?" Michonne responded.

Sasha shrugged. "I guess. Who knows if we'll bump into people over there?"

"True. You know anything about that place from the National Geographic?"

Sasha chuckled. "Not more than Laura might have. I wasn't gonna touch that subject much. I think Daryl has marked her on his shit list."

Michonne's eyes widened. "Yea. She should keep her distance. While they're planning things right now, I'm sure she's hiding under your brother." Sasha rolled her eyes. "What, you don't want them to be together?"

Sasha shrugged again. "I wouldn't hide under my brother. I love him to death, but this world is too much for a man like him. I'm glad he found love, again, but if something happens to her... No one's ready to lose the person they love. I mean, look at me. I listened to a liar just because the guy's name was 'Bob'". She stopped talking when she noticed Michonne's breathing had changed. "I'm sorry, I know you and Rick are just starting out, but I know you two are stronger than that."

Michonne wiped a tear. Her whole body vibrated with conflicting emotions. "I've, I've lost before." There was pain in just saying that.

"Oh. I didn't..."

"How could you have? Everyone has lost. I'm sure you lost people I didn't even know existed before we met." Sasha nodded her head. "Rick lost, I lost. I died inside. Some of me wondered if I would live again. Another part wondered why I even cared. But now, here I am, in love again and wondering if the ball will drop again."

There was silence. What could Sasha say about the joy of finding love in a world like theirs? It was as if it was nothing but a tease: be in love to feel alive and potentially land devastatingly lose it, or just don't love and live miserably anyway.

"Don't worry about your brother, he'll do what he can to protect her."

Sasha pulled out a box of raisins and offered it to her friend. "You notice something?"

"What?"

"Carol's been keeping her distance from them, and your man has been looking at all three of them strangely."

-000000000-

On the bus...

The meeting took place in the middle. Everyone stood in a circle; Carol had made sure she had some people to stand between her and Tyrese and Laura. Now that any of his confusion about Laura's appearance had evaporated away, he came back to his snares to notice that a new conflict could be developing. Tyrese had probably moved on, but guilt was suddenly creeping up on Carol's face lately. Clearly, things that happened in Georgia didn't always stay in Georgia.

"I knew you were a ton of bricks in school, but I thought you at least had common sense," Abe insulted.

"Listen, maybe it was hard for you to understand with all of that carrot top, but if we go where there are less roads, then we avoid more walkers," Daryl retorted.

"That's true," Laura jumped in. "Wouldn't more people have lived where there were more roads?"

Daryl sarcastically remarked, "Well gee, thanks Olive Oil."

Tyrese's jaw clenched. "You gonna stop calling her that!"

Daryl looked at Rick. Rick tilted his head, but could almost care less. "Fine."

"Look, we're gonna take the route where there is more elevation, so it'd be harder for the walkers to reach us. This road," he pointed at the map, "seems the most reasonable because it isn't surrounded by many streets." He looked at Daryl. "Do you know if that area is wooded?

"Nah, there ain't too many trees. Look, there's some water there," Daryl pointed.

Rick concluded, "Okay, we set out in the morning."

Carol interrupted, "what about food, clothes, supplies? If we're far from where there was a lot of civilization in the first place, how will we survive?"

Rick simply replied, "We will."

-00000000-

Rick had some decisions to make when the group dispersed. He wanted to put Michonne on the top of his list, but he knew better. She decided to keep Sasha Company because she knew he spoke for her and vice versa. He also knew it was to mainly keep their heads on straight - if they weren't careful, they could be a drug together. Intoxication could easily lead to death in their world.

The more urgent issues were his son and Carol. Carl was avoiding eye contact with him. They never got the chance to have the "talk". Now, he might have to, especially after his son heard him with someone other than his son's mother. _Terrific_. Carl wanted them to be together, but he probably didn't understand the implications. Then again, Rick knew he could have controlled his urges better.

Then there was Carol. He wasn't sure how, but if she didn't get over her guilt of killing Karen in the past, then something bad might happen.

It wasn't easy to decide who to talk to first.

"Riiiiiiiick," Glenn interrupted his thoughts.

Rick was taken aback. "Glenn?"

Glenn handed him a bottle of water. "You know, I've been losing hope lately. Maggie is my, she's my everything. I'm not gonna pretend that losing Hershel and Beth didn't affect me, because it did. But what's worse is to see Maggie go through it. She's my everything, you know." Rick nodded as he listened. "It's just been getting darker." His voice was low, but it was as if it traveled a distance. "But then there's you."

"Me?"

"Yes you," continued Glenn. "When I met you, I thought you were out of your mind delusional. A man trying to find his wife and kid. But you did. And look at you now: you've managed to get us all back together, raise your kids...but even better I think you're getting what you deserve at last."

"What do you mean?"

"We've all been waiting for you to be happy with Michonne. It's about time," Glenn patted his shoulder.

Rick laughed. "Yea, yes it is. Glenn, does Maggie tell you everything?"

Glenn's smile dissipated. "I hope she does. Why?"

"Anything about Carol at the prison?"

Glenn thought back. "Like what?"

"...Karen..."

"No, she didn't. Wait...no way!"

"That's why I haven't told too many people about it. I wanted it to stay in the past, but the way Carol keeps on looking at Tyrese and Laura..."

Glenn scratched his head. "What are you gonna do?"

"Talk to her. She might be considering leaving us."

-0000000-

Daryl climbed to the top of the bus with Carol in tow to relieve Sasha. Sasha momentarily thought they had ulterior motives, but reminded herself that they could be asexual for all she knew. More importantly, she reminded herself to mind her business. As they walked into the bus, she thank Michonne for keeping her company and went to sleep in a row ahead of her brother.

Michonne slowly walked, eyeing each seat as she passed them. She already noticed Glenn and Rick talking in the back row. She passed Carl and Noah, with little Judith, before she got there.

"Hey, what's going on y'all?" She smiled.

"Hey," Noah simply responded Carl chose to look out a window instead.

"Anything happened while I was up there?"

Noah responded, "we're gonna avoid major highways and we picked a spot close to water with few trees."

Michonne nodded. "Okay, okay." Carl continued to ignore her. "Well, I'm gonna call it a night."

Noah replied, "Okay."

"Carl?" He continued to look elsewhere. She wanted to give up on the conversation she was thinking of. This was something father and son needed to discuss. However, she did tell Rick once that she was done taking breaks. "Noah, can you give us a second?"

"Sure," the young man obliged, and limped away.

Michonne sat next to him and pulled out a bar. "Big Cat?" Carl refused. "Okay, I'm gonna say this, whether you're listening or not. If I could take back what happened earlier today to make you more comfortable, I would. I'm sorry if we did make you uneasy. Sometimes adults do things that don't make sense to kids..." Carl's gaze never left the window. "I had a step dad once. He was pretty cool, but I couldn't stand him at night. I would hear the weirdest noises come from their bedroom at night."

Carl turned his head from the window. "Yea, it's pretty nasty!"

"It is, it is. I still feel disgusted from just talking about it". She shuddered. "But eventually, I learned that they do that out of love." Carl went back to looking out the window. "If you don't want me with your father anymore, just let me know."

Carl looked at her. She must have forgotten about him telling his father off in her honor. "Of course not. You two better stay together!"

She snorted. "Here," she handed him the Big Car. "Share with Noah." She ruffled his hair and went to the back.

-0000000000-

Miles away...

A young woman was adorned in twigs and jewelry. She didn't cry as the people she used to go to church with hacked away at her body. ..

_**-Don't worry, there will be no Gareth or Terminus 2.0 coming up! Lori was enough…-**_


End file.
